Pierre Kwenders: Montreal’s Afro-Electro StarOver the past few years, Kwenders has become a
visible member of Montreal’s vibrant music community. The 2015 JUNO nominee performs February 6 at Toronto’s
Kuumba Festival, as part of the TD Then & Now series celebrating Black
History Month. See which 5 Black musicians have inspired him.

Pierre Kwenders: Montreal’s Afro-Electro StarOver the past few years, Kwenders has become a
visible member of Montreal’s vibrant music community. The 2015 JUNO nominee performs February 6 at Toronto’s
Kuumba Festival, as part of the TD Then & Now series celebrating Black
History Month. See which 5 Black musicians have inspired him.

Born José Louis Modabi in Kinshasa, the capital and largest
city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the musician now known as Pierre Kwenders immigrated to the
Montreal area when he was 16. Just over a decade later, he is one of that
city’s rising stars, and credits it with exposing him to a great diversity in
sound.

“Aside from the quantity of snow, Montreal is not far from
the perfect city,” Kwenders tells TD Music. “It definitely helped me experience
different styles of music, and that can be heard in the songs I make. You can
listen to folk one song, and then hear some deep house right after. It's great
for a musician to be around.”

Over the past few years, Kwenders has become a visible
member of Montreal’s vibrant music community. He’s part of a rap-electro-soul
collective dubbed DIFA (Doing It for Art), DJs around the city, and
collaborates with a variety of local artists, many of whom contributed to
Kwenders’ debut album, Le Dernier
Empereur Bantou.

Released last October on Montreal label Bonsound, Le Dernier Empereur Bantou is a highly
infectious blend of rhythms, melodies and vocal styles (it’s earned the artist
a 2015 JUNO nomination in the World Music Album of the Year category (sponsored
by Canada Council for the Arts)).

Kwenders sings in multiple languages - French, English,
Lingala, Kikongo, and Chinoba – over a modern Afro-electro sound that’s equally
influenced by his love of Congolese rumba, South African disco, and ’80s pop.

No matter the dialect or beat, Kwenders’ messages are
universal.

“The important thing, for me, when people listen to my
music, without sounding cliché, is that you can do anything,” the musician
offers. “We are free to imagine a universe without limits, linguistically or
stylistically. Remaining authentic is key.”

Kwenders also refutes stereotypes that persist about his
native continent.

“What and how Africa is often depicted by many media outlets
is far from reality,” he emphasizes. “Young Africans listen to Kendrick Lamar
and ASAP Rocky. They tweet, and you can find them on Instagram. When I proclaim
myself a ‘Representative of modern Africa,’ it's mainly to try and change the
perspective most people have of Africa.”

Fittingly, Pierre performs with his band this Friday
(February 6) at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and its Kuumba Festival. With its
theme of Afrofuturism, this 20th anniversary edition of Kuumba is
part of the TD Then &
Now series celebrating Black History Month.

In honour of Black History Month, we asked Kwenders to share
with us five Black musicians who have especially inspired him, and how so. See
his excellent list below.

KoffiOlomide: For
the sensuality in his music.

Michael Jackson: The
first ‘world’ artist in my opinion. He mixed all kinds of styles to create his
own.

Sade: My muse; when
I write, it's for her.

Pharrell Williams:
He’s a hard worker. There’s not a year that goes by where you don't hear
something good from him.